Soweto Art:From the Collection of Violet and Les Payne

February 1 - April 21, 2011Emily Lowe Gallery

This original exhibit, Soweto Art: From the Collection of Violet and Les Payne,curated by Karen T. Albert, Assistant Director of Exhibitions and Collections, commemorates the 35th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising - a series of clashes between black residents protesting Apartheid policies and the South African authorities. Les Payne, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist,

David Mbele, Chess Players, undated, Mixed media on paper

covered South Africa for Newsday during this time period.While there, he bought Hargreaves Ntukwana's mixed media work titled Breakfast Table. This work of art became the first piece in an ever-growing collection that focused on the struggling artists of the black township of Soweto. The exhibition includes over thirty paintings and works on paper by artists of Soweto including David Mbele, Velaphi Mzimba, Hargreaves Ntukwana, and Winston Saoli.

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On Thursday, February 3, the Hofstra University Museum held an opening reception for its exhibition, Soweto Art: From the Collection of Violet and Les Payne. Over 80 guests enjoyed remarks by Beth Levinthal, Executive Director of the Hofstra University Museum, Herman Berliner, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Hofstra University and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Les Payne. Hofstra University dance and drama students presented original dances in response to the artwork choreographed by Dyane Harvey, Hofstra Adjunct Associate Professor of Drama and Dance. Soweto Art: From the Collection of Violet and Les Payne commemorates the 35th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising – a series of clashes between black students protesting Apartheid policies and the South African authorities. Les Payne, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, covered South Africa for Newsday and began collecting the featured artists' works during this time.

On Thursday, February 3, the Hofstra University Museum held an opening reception for its exhibition, Soweto Art: From the Collection of Violet and Les Payne. Over 80 guests enjoyed remarks by Beth Levinthal, Executive Director of the Hofstra University Museum, Herman Berliner, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Hofstra University and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Les Payne. Hofstra University dance and drama students presented original dances in response to the artwork choreographed by Dyane Harvey, Hofstra Adjunct Associate Professor of Drama and Dance. Soweto Art: From the Collection of Violet and Les Payne commemorates the 35th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising – a series of clashes between black students protesting Apartheid policies and the South African authorities. Les Payne, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, covered South Africa for Newsday and began collecting the featured artists' works during this time.

On Thursday, February 3, the Hofstra University Museum held an opening reception for its exhibition, Soweto Art: From the Collection of Violet and Les Payne. Over 80 guests enjoyed remarks by Beth Levinthal, Executive Director of the Hofstra University Museum, Herman Berliner, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Hofstra University and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Les Payne. Hofstra University dance and drama students presented original dances in response to the artwork choreographed by Dyane Harvey, Hofstra Adjunct Associate Professor of Drama and Dance. Soweto Art: From the Collection of Violet and Les Payne commemorates the 35th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising – a series of clashes between black students protesting Apartheid policies and the South African authorities. Les Payne, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, covered South Africa for Newsday and began collecting the featured artists' works during this time.